How Senators Carper and Coons Voted in the Votarama to Repeal the ACA

The Budget Resolution designed to enable the Republicans to repeal (but not replace, it looks like) was introduced and various Amendments to this have been introduced and voted on this week. Last night, was the “votearama” where a number of D-introduced amendments to this resolution were voted on. I want you to know how our Senators voted on various Amendments here. In the main, Senators Carper and Coons voted along party lines EXCEPT for Senator Klobuchar’s amendment that would propose a reduction to prescription costs by allowing imports from Canada. See the list below:

SA184 — Introduced by Deb Fisher (R-NE) establishing a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to strengthening Social Security or health care for women, which may include strengthening community health centers by repealing Obamacare. Failed 52-46.

The operative explanation for the Dems voting to deny access to Canadian drugs is that their trials regime is much less stringent than ours in the USA through the FDA and similarly true for some European made drugs imported to Canada. As much as this pisses me off, especially having been informed this week my VA drug copays will increase, this is not the fully ridiculous defense I had hoped it was. Erring on the side of consumer protection caution….not outrageous until there is a discussion about such standards, drug by drug……a huge task even for the federal government.
Bernie’s reference to comparing our importation of fruits and vegetables from neighboring countries sounds good…..but further scrutiny reveals that our U.S. standards for food inspection falls way short of drugs……..probably that difference should not exist, but it is and it is real even though we put both food and medicine into our bodies, often through our mouths. So Bernie is playing us a bit there.
A final issue…….it pisses me off also but the truth is unavoidable….Our Senators and Congressperson likely feel a responsibility to protect our American industries, yes including Big Pharma, from competition. Are you a protectionist as some Dems are? Well, this is protectionism at work through Coons and Carper.
Sigh…..life should be a lot simpler.

In the main, I still think that this is a ridiculous excuse. Many of the drugs for sale in Canada are made here and it is a little crazy to imply that the Canadians don’t have a rigorous pharmaceutical quality program. Pharmaceuticals are not fruit and veggies — and most of us are not in the habit of washing and/or peeling our pills before taking them.

This was an amendment that was expected to fail. A dozen or so GOP Senators also voted for this thing. This was a free vote — to mostly be on the record for helping Americans get cheaper drugs. I understand about protecting an American industry, but we are protecting the *pricing* of an American industry that has to negotiate its prices everyplace but here. Americans have been telling everyone that they don’t want to bear the costs of the discounts provided to other countries.

I could not go to either of the rallies today for the ACA, but am hoping that someone asks Carper what he was thinking with that vote.